The present invention is directed to a spherical planoconvex lens for optically coupling a semiconductor laser to an optical waveguide. The coupling is accomplished by the lens being disposed in the beam path between the laser and the waveguide with a planar lens surface facing towards the laser and the lens being composed of refractive material that is transparent for the laser emission.
A lens of this type is known from Techn. Digest, Conf. on Opt. Fiber Commun., Optical Fiber Sensors, '85, San Diego, 1985. This lens is composed of silicon, is hemispherical and has an extremely low spherical aberration. Thus a lens is established with which a high coupling efficiency from the semiconductor laser to the waveguide is achieved. A high coupling efficiency is of interest in optical communication technology because of the higher line length connected therewith.